"The arrival of Amnesty International from the United States here aims to assist with the independent investigation into the case involving and befalling (KPK) senior investigator Novel Baswedan," Bencosmell remarked at the KPK building in Jakarta.
Bencosmell raised doubts over the Indonesian government's commitment over its failure to manage the anti-corruption sector.
As a human rights organization, Amnesty International is serious about fostering the upholding of human rights, specifically in the anti-corruption sector, he remarked.
"To this end, we have access to policymakers in the United States, through the Congress and Parliament, for mainstreaming what transpired in the situation involving the KPK and Novel Baswedan in Indonesia," he stated.
Acid was hurled at Baswedan while returning home after offering Fajr, or the Dawn prayer, at a mosque nearby in North Jakarta, thereby resulting in the loss of vision in his left eye on April 11, 2017.
The two motorcyclists responsible for the acid attack are yet to be identified and apprehended.
The retired police officer, who had joined the anti-graft body in 2007, was tasked with conducting investigations into high-profile corruption cases, including those allegedly involving some high-ranking officials. Ever since, Baswedan has often been on the receiving end of terror attacks and assaults.
The Jakarta Metro Jaya Police and National Police's Criminal Investigation Department claim to be conducting comprehensive, ongoing investigation into the case, though the perpetrators are yet to be traced.
Ultimately, the Indonesian Police made an announcement that Indonesian Police (Polri) Chief General Tito Karnavian had signed an assignment letter on January 8, 2019, to set up a joint team to probe Baswedan's case.
The 65-member joint team constituting officers of the Polri, KPK, National Human Rights Commission (Komnas HAM), Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI), and non-governmental organizations, are working on the case between January 8 and July 7, 2019.
Baswedan is upbeat that parliaments in the United States and other nations would help in calling on the Indonesian government to give due preference to Baswedan's case on the list of priorities.
"Intentionally ignoring terror attacks is only encouraging their future recurrence that is dire and risky. We are keen to make corruption eradication a strategic issue that all should make steady efforts to combat," he added. Related news: Presidential candidates challenged by Baswedan case, KPK bomb threats
Related news: Joint team expected to solve mystery of Novel Baswedan case
Related news: Novel Baswedan remains anti-graft body investigator
Translator: Benardy Ferdiansyah, Suharto
Editor: Azizah Fitriyanti
Copyright © ANTARA 2019
